BW> Since -- isn't it so that any output from these commands will be shown
 BW> to the user (possibly confusing the user and garbling the "screen" with
 BW> a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo)? So one wants to avoid any such output
 BW> to the user?

In Windows it does not redirect the console through a telnet connection like it does in Unix-based systems, so doing the NUL is just to stop error messages from an archive leak through to the local screen when doing local mode logins and when MUTIL is performing archive related functions.

In other words, if a bunch of archive error messages are leaking into the display when MUTIL is doing its GUI updates, it would cause the status screen to appear garbled.

... A Mystic asking for a hot-dog: "Make me one with everything"

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/08/08 (Windows/64)